Therapeutic electric apparatus.



R. H. WAPPLER.

THERAPEUTIC ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1913. 1,127,554. Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

R. H. WAPPLER, THERAPEUTIC ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 21,1913.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATE OFFICE.

REINHOLD H. WAPPLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'I'O WAPPLER ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

THERAPEUTIC ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Application filed August 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REINHOLD H. We?- rnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Therapeutic Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a therapeutic apparatus of novel construction, by means of which either a peculiar alternating current having the practical therapeutic eifect of a Faradic current of rhythmically varying strength and alternating polarity, or a continuous or interrupted galvanic current, as Well as a combination of both of said currents may be applied to a patients body.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a partly diagrammatic plan of a therapeutic electric apparatus embodying my nvention; Fig. 2 a section on line 2-2 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a section on line 3-3, Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 an enlarged section on line l4: Fig. 1.

By a suitable post 10 is rotatably supported in manner hereinafter described, a shaft 11 that carries at its free end an oblong core.12 of laminated iron. Upon the latter is supported a primary coil which for the sake-of its more convenient mounting on core 12, is shown to comprise two coil sections 13 that are located at both sides of shaft 11 and receive intermittent electric current from a suitable source of electricity 1 1. One pole of the latter is, by wire 15, connected to an interrupter coil 16, which is in turn, by wire 17, armature 18, contact 19, and wire 20 connected to a brush 21 that engages a. slip ring 22 fast on an insulating cylinder 23 of shaft 11. The other pole of source 14 is by wire 24 connected to a brush 25 engaging a slip ring 26 which is also carried by cylinder 23. Slip rings 22, 26 are by wires 22, 26* connected to the primary coils 13, while the latter are connected with each other by a wire 13. Shaft 11 is adapted to receive rotary movement from a suitable electromotor 27 shown to be supplied with current from source 14 to which it is connected by wire 28 and wire 2-9, into the latter wire being interpolated a speed-regulating resistance 30. Upon the shaft 31 of motor 27 is mounted a disk 32, the pin 33 of which isadapted to engage the radial arm 34 of a spindle 35 rotatah y mounted in a bearing 36. Spindle 35 is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 785,850.

provided with a worm 37 that engages a Worm wheel 38 fast on shaft 11. In proximity to the primary windings l3 and in the magnetic field thereof, is located a secondary winding 39, the axis of winding 39 extending at right angles to the axis of shaft 11. Winding 39 is supported by a slide 40 movable in suitable guide ways 41 so that it may be shifted toward or away from windings 13. For operating slide 40, the latter is provided with a rack 40 which is engaged bya pinion 42 fast on a spindle 43. This spindle is rotatably mounted in an upright bearing 44 and may be manually operated by a knob -15. Winding 39 is by wires 46, 47 connected to the binding posts 48, 49 to which the electrodes may be joined that are to be brought into contact with the patients body.

As thus far described, it will be seen that upon supplying electric current to interrupter coil 16 and electromotor 27, a pulsating current will be sent through the primary windings 13, while the latter are rotated with a speed that depends upon the position of regulator 30. In this way, an alternating current is induced in coil 39, the peaks of which rise progressively from zero to a maximum while core 12 is moved from its vertical position into its horizontal position, 2'. e. into a position that extends in alinement with the axis of coil 39. Subsequently the peaks of the generated alternating current will gradually fall from maximum to zero, while core'12 is turned into its vertical position, the same operation being repeated during the other half rotation of primary coils 13 with the only difference that the direction of the current iiiduced in the secondary coil is reversed. It will thus be seen that the peaks of the waves of this alternating current would be higher on one side of the zero line than on the other so that the practical therapeutic effect would be. the efiect of a uni-directional pulsating or Faradic current whose strength first gradually increases from zero to a maximum and then gradually falls from saidmaximum to zero, whereupon the same operation is repeated with changed polarity. That is to say during one-half of the revolution of shaft 11' the high peaks would be on one side of the zero line and during the other half of the revolution the high peaks wouldne on the other side of the zero line.

For generating either interrupted or con--.-

tinuous galvanic current, the following construction has been devised: Upon spindle 35 is mounted an insulating cylinder 50 provided with a conductive ring 51 and an in.-

tegralv cm tact or interrupter 52, the parts;

51, 52 being embedded with cylinder 50. Ring 51 is engaged by a brush 53 which 1s, by wire 54, connected to wire 24, while conta ct 52 -is adapted td' lle intermittently engaged by a'brush' 55. The latteris in turn,

by wire 56','co nnected to a brush 57 engagto sleeve 58. Head sections 59, 60are adapted to be alternately engaged by a pair of brushes 64, 65, the width of which is less than the diameter of insulator .62 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1., Brushes 64, ,are by wires 66, 67 connected to binding posts 68, 69 respectively, to which the usual. electrodes may be attached. Head 60 is permanently engaged by a contact spring 7 O which is by wire 71, regulator 72, resistance 72 andwire 73 connected to Wire 28, and consequently to the sourceof electricity 14.

It will be seen that when a current is sent from one pole ofthe source 'otelectricity 14 tobrus'h 53 while electromotor 27 is in operation, said current will be intermittently transmitted through contact 52, brush 55, wire 56, brush 57 to sleeve 58 and consequently to head section 59. As the other pole of source 14 is connected to head section60 it is obvious that during the rotation of the parts 59, 60, an intermittent current of alternating polarity-will be respectively transmitted through brushes 64, .65, and wires 66, 67 to binding posts 68, 69. As owing to the worm and worm wheel connection, the interrupter 52 rotates at a speed that considerably exceeds that of head or For producing a continuous galvanic cur-' rent,'wire 24 isQby branch 74, connected to a binding post 75, the current flowing, from source 14 through wire'24, branch 74 to post 75, and through wire 73, resistance 72F, regu later 72, -wire"71, contact spring '70, head sectimreO, brash- 6,5, and-wire 6 "topest 69,

electrodes being connected to binding posts 48, 68. Assuming the parts to occupy the position shown in Fig. 1, the current will flow from the secondary coil 39 through wire 47, switch'76, Wire 67, brush 65, head section 60, contact spring 70, wire 71, regulator 72, resistance 72, wires 73, 28, source of electricity 14, wires 24, 54, brush 53,

ring 51, interrupter 52, brush 55, wire 56,

brush 57, sleeve 58, head sectiori' 59,brush 64, wire 66, the patients body, and Wire 46 back tothe secondary coil 39'. In this way the patient will not only be subjected to the pulsating galvaniccurrent of alternately changing direction, but in addition thereto, to the action of the above described peculiar alternating current. In this way, atherapeutic effect may be obtained which is far superior to the effects previously obtained by the application of either Faradic or galvanic current.

It is to be understood that the particular apparatus shown and described embodies but one execution of mv invention. and that various changes-may be made without dcparting from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A therapeutic electric apparatus. comprising a primary coil, means for supplying a rapidly pulsating electric current thereto, a secondary coil, and means for rotating one of said coils in the field of theother coil,

whereby an alternating current isinducedin the secondary coil the peaks of which are h gher 6n one side of the zero lino than on the other, said higher peaks lying during consecutive one-half revolutions of the rotated coil alternately on opposite sides of said zero line.

'2. A therapeutic electric apparatus, comprising a primary coil, means for supplying a pulsating electric current hereto, a secondary coil. means for rotating the primary coil, whereby an alternating current is induced in the secondary coil the peaks of which are higher on one side of the zero line than on the other. said higher peaks lying during consecutive one-half revolutions of the primary coil alternately on opposite sides of said zero line, and means for varying the distance between the primary and secondary coils.

8. A therapeutic electric apparatus, comprising a primary coil. means for supplying a pulsating electric current thereto, a secondary coil. means for rotating the primary coil, whereby an alternating current is in duced in the secondary coil'the p'eaks of which are higher on one side of the zero line than on the other, said higher peaks lying during consecutive one-half revolutions of the primary coil alternately on opposite sides of said zero line, means for regulating the rotary speed of the primary coil, and means for varying the distance between the primary and secondary coils.

4. A therapeutic electric apparatus, comprising a rotary shaft, a magnetizable core carried thereby, a primary coil on said core, means for supplying a pulsating electric current to said coil, a secondary coil arranged in proximity to the core, and means for varying the distance between the core and secondary coil.

5. A therapeutic apparatus, comprising a rotary shaft, a magnetizable core carried thereby, a primary coil on said'core, means for supplying a pulsating electric current to said coil, a secondary coil arranged in proximity to the core, means for varying the rotary speed of the core, and means for varying the distance between the core and secondary coil.

6. A therapeutic electric apparatus, comprising means for supplying an electric current, means for interrupting said current, and means for alternately varying the direction of the interrupted current, the speed of the current interruptions exceeding that of the variation of the currentdirection.

7. A therapeutic electric apparatus, comprising means for producing an intermittent electric current of alternating polarity, means for producing an alternating current having peaks which are higher on one side of the zero line than on 'the other, said higher peaks lying during consecutive onehalf periods of said alternating current on opposite sides of said zero line, and means for connecting the produced currents in series.

8. A therapeutic electric apparatus comprising a motor, means for regulating the speed thereof, a shaft driven by said motor, a core carried by said shaft, a primary coil on said core, means for supplying a pulsating electric current to said primary coil, a secondary coil arranged in proximity to said core, and means for varying the distance between said core and secondary coil.

9. A therapeutic electric apparatus comprising a motor, means for regulating the speed thereof, a shaft driven by said motor, a core carried by said shaft, a primary coil on said core, means for supplying a pulsating electric current to said primary. coil, a secondarv coil arranged in proximity to said. core, and a slide carrying said secondary coil.

10. A therapeutic electric apparatus comprising a motor, means for regulating the speed thereof, a shaft driven by said motor, a core carried by said shaft, a primary coil on said core, means for supplying a pulsating electric current to said primary coil, a secondary coil arranged in proximity to said core, a slide carrying said secondary coil, and manually operable means for setting said slide,

11. A therapeutic electric apparatus, comprising a primary coil, means for supplying a rapidly pulsating electric current thereto, a secondary coil, means for rotating one of said coils in the field of the other coil, Whereby an alternating current is induced in the secondary coil the peaks of which are higher on one side of the Zero line than on the other, said higher peaks lyin during consecutive one-half revolutions o the rotated coil alternately on opposite sides of said zero line, and means for varying the inductive efl'ect between said coils.

REINHOLD H. NAPPLER.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR E. ZUMPE, FREDA ELMAN. 

